Organization is the Key to Your Teen's Academic Success!

"Be neat!"  "Be organized!" "Test on Tuesday...don't forget!" "Write your homework in your assignment book!" Many have heard those reminders from your former teachers. You knew that it was important, but it seems too boring and tedious a task to focus upon consistently. That's why your parents shook their head(s) in wonder when you unloaded your book bag at the end of the year. That's why the school janitor gasped in horror as your PBJ sandwich which was stuffed beneath 5 months of papers, notebooks, textbooks, and articles of clothing, seemed to either grow extremities and walked out of your hall locker or had an aroma suspiciously similar to a science-project-gone-wrong. Most of us chuckle at the error of our ways in middle and high school and would admit that we should have done better and perhaps our grades might have been better had we actually listened to our teachers and had been more organized.

Every school year I observe the interaction between parent/guardian, teacher, and student. The parent or guardian asks the teacher about their teen's academic progress. The student drops his or her head in anticipation of what he or she knows is to come. The teacher announces the current average and classroom performance, which sometimes is typically less that acceptable. The most common reports includes not turning in homework or projects, not performing well on quizzes and tests, etc. The parent or guardian's next question that follows is: "Well, what can I do at home to help him/her at home?" Now, here's the GOLDEN RESPONSE: "Reinforce good organizational skills. Your teen has been instructed how to organize and prepare for this class. Holding your teen accountable for his or her organizational skills at home may make the world of difference."

Here are some suggestions for you, as a parent, to hold your teen accountable for his or her organizational skills at home:

1) Purchase an agenda or small tablet/notebook just for homework assignments and then check them periodically (preferably 2 or more times a week). If you have a middle school teen or an immature high school teen, you may find it beneficial to initial your teen's homework assignment each day. Writing a note in his/her agenda/homework notebook to the teacher is also a great way to keep the lines of communication open. Create a reward system for your teen doing this to something that he/she values and you can monitor independently at home.
2) Create a designated, well lit homework area within your home that is conducive to productive work and studying. This area should be free of distracting gadgets or technological gizmos. If the teen has access to a desktop or laptop in this area, then the area should be in area of the home where you can view the easily view the screen.
3) Create a routine for your teen to clean out his or her book bag daily or at least once a week on a designated day. This prevents completed homework assignments and forms/letters that need to be signed from going unnoticed for long periods of time.
4) Purchase one large 3-ring binder (check with your teen's teacher first) with dividers for each subject. Keeping up with one large notebook is usually easier for most middle and high school students. You may also want to randomly check your teen's notebook to ensure that he or she is keeping work for each class in its designated area. If they are not, call them on it immediately! Some high schools are encouraging students to have laptops/notebooks/IPads to type their notes, research, create documents, etc. You may want to consider this option, if your teen has consistently demonstrated maturity in handling and looking after their personal belongings.
5) Have your teen to create and post an academic calendar in a prominent location in your home. This calendar should include dates for all quizzes/tests, projects, and homework assignments; school holidays; extracurricular activities; dates that progress and report cards are issued; dates of parent/teacher conferences; dates for standardized testing; and any other school related events. This keeps your teen abreast of his schedule so that he/she can exercise good time management skills and it keeps you "in the know" throughout the school year. School calendars are issued at the beginning of the school year and can also be downloaded from the school and/or district's website.
6) Have regular conversations with your teen about his/her assignments, academic workload, and deadlines.  Keeping the lines of communication open with your teen gives him/her a sense of support and accountability.
7) Post school and teacher websites and emails in a prominent location in the home, preferably near the designated study area. Both your teen and yourself should utilize these resources regularly throughout the school year for questions, concerns, and affirmations. It is a good idea to request that your teen's teacher upload instructions to projects, grading rubrics, or forms/letters to their website (if they do not already do so) in case a paper, form, directions are misplaced.
8) Monitor and keep school supplies replenished at home. Keep all school supplies in a designated area that is accessible to your teen and check for the need to replenish at least once a week. You may be surprised at how teens tend to improvise instead of immediately informing parents of needed school supplies. This creates a domino effect, leading to your teen not turning in assignments on time or assignments of less quality.
9) And most importantly...model good organizational skills for your teen! Demonstrate and explain why you organize bills, documents, etc the way that you do. Demonstrate how using charts, diagrams, and lists enhance your efficiently and ability to remember tasks, obligations, and to sort out dilemmas.

Again, developing organizational skills is key to preventing feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and confused. Organizational skills facilitates a clear mind that is free to think logically and remember important tasks and deadlines. Many of these suggestions require establishing routines within your household. Once teens get use to a routine, they tend to remind you if the routine is somehow broken. And parents who reinforce the importance of organizational skills their household often give testimony of the drastic improvement in their teen's academic performance.
~ LaNora M. James, Ed.D.